Browsing monthly archives: August 2016

So after multiple requests for dragon patterns, I finally created one. His name is Harlick the Happy, and he is probably my happiest dragon to date. Thank you to friends Lynda and Laurie for the name!

He is also done in a method that I don’t often employ. I used fusible appliqué instead of stitching and painting or painting then stitching. But the pattern can be done with a. fusible appliqué, b. traditional appliqué, or c. the paint/stitch or stitch/paint. He was lots of fun to make, despite taking 8 gazillion photos to document the process and make sure the pattern pieces all fit correctly.

I just loaded him onto the Craftsy platform and once the upload is complete, he can be found under the Esparta Fiber Arts moniker or Harlick the Happy.

One of the key things to note is that there are two formats available to download. If you are living in the United States, you will want the letter size pattern. Anywhere outside the US use the A4 pattern.

I love participating in the SAQA Auction! It is one of my favourite events to donate to because SAQA offer many helpful services to artists working in the textile/quilt genre. SAQA stands for Studio Art Quilt Associates and they encourage the exploration of textiles as an art form by providing exhibitions, mentoring, forums, and other opportunities.

Each year in September they run the big auction and members donate a 12″ X 12″ mini quilt to help raise funds. There are many celebrated artists that participate and many like myself whom are relative unknowns. This year my regional group, Oceania, decided to group our entries together for fun and entertainment. 36 of us joined in the fun this year! We may all hail from the Oceania region, but our work is very diverse. For a full list of participants, you can find them here on the SAQA Oceania blog.

My personal donation this year reflects the move that we just made to Oamaru and is titled “Oamaru Steampunk”.

All the items in this quilt can be seen at Steampunk HQ, Oamaru. Except the penguin that is quilted into the design…they can be seen down by the harbour. Can you find the penguin?

Here is a bit of the progression… We were moving house while I was creating this piece and I admit to not being overly good about taking photos.

Here is a shot of the location that inspired the piece!

Thank you for stopping by my blog and please check out the SAQA Auction when it starts on September 16th, 2016! “Oamaru Steampunk” will be part of Section 2 of the Auction and that will run from September 26 to October 2, 2016.

Its been awhile since I last posted, but we have had some serious adventures in the absence! We no longer live in Kerikeri, in the Far North on the North Island of New Zealand… We did the big move south at the end of March beginning of April. Now we are in Oamaru, Otago region on the South Island.

There are some distinct differences with regard to climate and geography here in the South Island. The temperature is much colder this winter than that in Kerikeri! In KK we were sub-tropical and largely volcanic terrain. Down here we have weather. Snow can actually happen! Not usually in Oamaru (Coastal town) but a little further west we have the Southern Alps and there is plenty of snow, glaciers, and amazing lakes to see!

Oamaru itself is a thriving diverse community. It is home to the rare yellow eye penguin, there is a large colony of little blue penguins, plenty of seals, and other assorted wildlife. We have lots of hills, for a US reference think San Francisco. There is a beautiful Victorian precinct complete with people riding penny farthing cycles and it is the centre for NZ’s Steampunk community. On the corner of the Victorian precinct stands the Steampunk HQ filled with oddities and really amazing sculpture. So there is no shortage of inspiration here.

Here are a few photos of the area…

The photo with the pink arrow is to indicate where the Yellow Eyed Penguin is running! We were up very high and the phone can only do so well with distance photos.

This is just a short update to let you all know we are alive and well, just in a new location!